A Million-to-One Odds
by jbn42
Summary: On what should have been a relatively calm, routine mission, an ambush leaves one of them badly injured and another of them wallowing in guilt.
1. Chapter 1 - A Routine Mission

**Author's Note: Less fluff than my usual. Must remember sometimes that they're at war. This will be a two-shot.**

 **D** **isclaimer per usual – I do not own Star Wars or any aspect of the SW universe; just a fan with an idea. No profit here, just fun for me.**

"Get him out of there!" Rey cries, nearly frantic as Black One lands roughly in the hangar.

There are medics waiting nearby, but Rey is impatient, flinging her hand out. The X-Wing platform ladder slides over as if of its own volition, and the canopy of the X-Wing clangs open. BB-8 finishes the shutdown sequence, and he drops down out of the fighter, beeping in a way that makes it clear he is upset. The X-Wing looks entirely undamaged, and the ship itself is. Its pilot, on the other hand, is another story.

"Poe!" Rey is nearly ill when she sees how much blood there at his temple and covering the right side of his face, trailing down and soaking one side of his flight suit. The sticky, drying liquid is harshly dark against his unnaturally pale skin. His helmet is in his lap, hands both limp on his legs, positioned in a way that makes it clear that his last move was to reach up and close his canopy. Luckily, BB-8 had been able to lock the canopy and fly the little fighter.

His buzz, usually ever-present in the back of Rey's head, is nearly completely gone. The only reason she isn't hysterical is that it's still there, barely present, but there. She touches the pulse point in his neck, and she almost faints with relief when she finds his heartbeat with her fingers, slow but steady, and she can see his chest move, though not nearly with an acceptable cadence. "Flyboy?" she calls softly, gently ruffling his hair on the left side of his head. He doesn't respond, and his muted buzz doesn't change.

She turns. "Medic! Now! He's barely breathing!"

She moves out of the way, back down the ladder, and she watches as two large medics go up, slip a brace onto Poe's neck and gently pull him from the cockpit. They get him down the ladder and onto a waiting stretcher. They quickly take him towards the medbay, Rey, Chewie, and BB-8 right behind them. Rose, who just emerged from her own X-Wing, watches them go. She then climbs up the ladder and peers into the cockpit. She mutters, "What the kriff happened?"

One side of the seat and the adjacent cockpit wall are drenched in Poe's blood. She looks around the cockpit, spotting a large piece of shrapnel, the shape of a piece that is missing from her own ship, in the footwell of the fighter. She grabs it, and she gasps. One side of it, the blunt edge, has a tinge of blood on it. Rose swallows back tears. They were shooting at her as she took off, and this was the result. This happened to him protecting her.

A moment later, she hears a stricken voice repeat the same words she'd said moments ago. "What the kriff happened?"

She spins, and Kes, with Finn right behind him, is staring up at her, and he runs up the ladder and demands, "Rose, what…" His voice trails off and all of the color drains from his face as he notices the blood-soaked cockpit of his son's fighter. Without another word, he bolts back down the ladder and heads towards the medbay at a dead run.

Rose watches him go, murmuring, "I'm so sorry," as Finn comes up the ladder. As he climbs, Rose drops to her knees on the platform and starts to cry. Finn doesn't understand, but he gathers Rose's tiny form into his arms. She's clutching the piece of shrapnel and sobbing as he carries her down the ladder and follows the others to the medbay.

 _Two Hours Earlier_

Their small convoy lands on Endor, only a couple hours' jump from their current base. Poe and Rose are both in X-Wings, designated Black One and Black Four, respectively. Her refurbished and freshly-painted X-Wing is on its inaugural mission. She has spent the last few weeks working with Poe in a simulator and then near the base, and Poe has been impressed with how quickly her flying has improved. After their last drills near the base, he'd ruffled her hair and said, "Paige would be so damned proud of you, Rose."

The Falcon lands nearby, in one of the grassland areas of the moon. They're on the opposite side of the moon from the Ewoks, something that disappoints Rey, who was curious about them. She and Chewie emerge from the Falcon, Chewie shooing the porgs back inside and closing the ramp. He likes to grouse about the little creatures, but Rey swallows a smile. She knows he has a serious soft spot for them.

They're here on a supply run and a recruiting mission. They'd received word through a spy they trust that a small group of would-be rebels had been training here, and that they had brought several cases of rations and some weapons specs with them that would be of interest to the Resistance. They were twitchy, though, according to the spy, and wanted to meet with an officer.

Poe, who had cabin fever in the worst way, had been quick to volunteer. His new role on the command staff for Leia had been taking a lot of his time, and his few short flights with Rose were not satisfying his need to fly. Leia knows that she can't have Poe grounded all of the time – knows that it would make him a little crazy – so she readily agreed to the short, relatively low-risk trip.

BB-8 and Rose's astromech stay in their respective X-Wings. Rose, trailed by Poe, comes over to meet Chewie and Rey. She's bouncing with excitement, and Rey catches Poe's look of amused affection as he watches the little mechanic-turned pilot tell Chewie about her flight. Rey joins Poe, slipping her hand into his. "What time and where do we need to meet our contact?"

"In about five minutes and right here." Poe looks around, surveying the terrain. He doesn't love the area the contact chose. It's in the center of a small valley, highly accessible and susceptible to ambush. He catches what looks like a glint of metal halfway up one of the walls of the valley, but the sun then goes behind a cloud. He stares at the spot a moment longer, his eyes far better than most people's, but he doesn't see anything.

"What is it?" Rey immediately senses his change in mood. She follows his gaze up the now-shadowed hillside.

He shrugs. "Probably nothing."

"Your eyes don't lie, Flyboy, and your instincts aren't often wrong, either." Rey continues to scan the hills, now on high alert herself.

He huffs out a worried breath. "This just feels significantly exposed. We're basically in a bowl. This location makes no tactical sense for a drop unless it's a…"

"Trap." Rey finishes for him.

"Yeah." He looks over at Rose and Chewie. He's not surprised to see that Chewie also looks to be wary; he is, on the other hand, pleasantly surprised to see Rose looking around with suspicion, too. The young woman is a quick study.

Poe makes a rapid decision. "Back to the Falcon, Beautiful. This is no good."

She nods, thinking, "You too, Flyboy. Let's get out of here."

"As soon as you, Chewie, and Rose are in the air," he thinks back. Using his voice, he yells, "Rose, let's go."

Rose looks surprised, but she complies immediately. Rey takes off for the Falcon, but they're all too late. Chewie is on board, firing up the old freighter, but blaster fire nearly catches Rey on the shoulder. She barely has time to duck out of the way before a barrage of blaster fire rains down. Chewie is yelling at her, but she sees that Poe and Rose are pinned down.

She yells to Chewie, "Get her in the air and pick me up in a minute!"

The ship takes off, hovering close with her ramp open – Chewie can't shoot without Rey, but he can provide cover. Poe and Rose are both behind his X-Wing, blasters drawn, but whoever is shooting at them seems to be trying to spare the fighters. He thinks that information at Rey, who nods.

She thinks at him, "You and I need to draw them off, so Rose can get to her X-Wing."

He looks at her, a sly smile popping up on his face. "Want to give them a shove?"

She knows what he means. They've been working on his Force abilities. They have come to realize that, on its own, just communicating and connecting is harmless to Poe. He can also do one or two more significant things now, but any more than that, and his headaches and nosebleeds, like what happened on their trip back from Yavin 4 a few months ago, return.

"Let's do it, Flyboy," she thinks back. They go back and forth for a few moments, both of them returning blaster fire towards the hill, but also working out the plan. Rey only balks when he said he's in the air last, but she knows he takes his leadership role seriously, even more so since Q'Dar and Crait.

Poe looks at Rose, who is returning fire along with him. "Get ready to move, Rose."

"You and Rey have a plan?" At this point, all of their close friends are fully aware and comfortable with his and Rey's silent conversations.

"We do. We're going to give them a push, and you make a break for your fighter. We'll lay down cover fire after we push them back. Or I will. Rey is going to be getting over here, and she's getting the lightsaber out." He tries to give her a reassuring look. "Ready?" When Rose nods, he inhales and exhales a deep breath, clearing his head and relaxing his body. When he's prepared, he mentally confirms that Rey is ready, and then he yells to both Rey and Rose, "Now!"

He and Rey both thrust hands towards the source of the blaster fire. It stops abruptly, and Rose bolts for Black Four, blaster drawn to return fire if she needs to. Rey joins Poe at Black One, and her lightsaber comes to life. Rose makes it to her X-Wing and is in the cockpit when the blaster barrage resumes, some towards Rose, but most towards Rey and Poe, something they'd hoped for given the clear attempts by their assailants to avoid damaging the ships.

Rey begins deflecting shot after shot, and she thinks to Poe, "You get in Black One and then lay down cover fire for me from the cockpit so I can get on the Falcon's ramp?"

He reluctantly agrees. He'd prefer that she be on the Falcon when he gets into his cockpit, but he knows that he'd be completely exposed. He notices Rose rise into the air, and she begins to lay down fire from her X-Wing. Rey notices too, and she calls, "Go, Flyboy!"

He nods, getting one more round of fire off before climbing his ladder and turning to start firing towards the hill again. He opens a comm channel on his fighter console and yells the plan to Chewie. Poe shoots again and again, and he feels a flash of relief when Chewie comes into a lower hover, just a few meters from the ground and even closer to Black One. "Your turn, Beautiful," he yells between shots.

With a grace Poe never could have managed, she leaps to the wing of his X-Wing while BB-8 fires up the engine, and a moment later, she is on the ramp of the freighter. As the ramp closes, Poe drops into his seat. Rose is still hovering, firing at the hill. They are mostly firing at Poe, but now that they're all in ships, they turn fire back to Rose. Poe hits his comm. "Black Four, get out of here. Break atmosphere and jump home."

"Got it, Black Leader!" Rose replies.

Poe then calls Chewie. "We're ready to go. Pull up, Falcon, and get out of here. See you at home."

The Falcon rises, and Rose turns her ship to go as Poe reaches up to close the canopy. A single shot hits the edge of one of Rose's wings, and a chunk of the metal shears off. It flies towards Black One just as Poe moves to slam his canopy closed. In a moment that had about a million-to-one odds of happening, the chunk of metal flies through the gap of the closing canopy, and it hits Poe's right temple before bouncing to the floor by his feet.

His body goes limp, his mind dark. BB-8, having been by Poe's side for nearly half of Poe's life, knows something is wrong. The little astromech locks the canopy and connects to the correct system, lurching the X-Wing into the air. He is determined that no one will capture his master again.

On the Falcon, Rey was about to relax when Poe's buzz goes nearly silent. She begins to call to him, flashing back to their trip home from Yavin 4. This time, though, he doesn't wake. He doesn't respond. For the two-hour jump home, his buzz never intensifies, and he is silent.


	2. Chapter 2 - A Long Night

**Author's Note: I didn't intend for this to get so long, but it took on a life of its own. This was going to be a two-shot, but this chapter got insanely long, so I broke it up.**

 **D** **isclaimer per usual – I do not own Star Wars or any aspect of the SW universe; just a fan with an idea. No profit here, just fun for me.**

Racing down the hallway behind the medics and the stretcher, Rey's mind is reeling. Seeing Poe covered in blood like he is took her breath away in the worst possible way. As they arrive in the medbay, Leia is coming in. She asks what happened, but Rey can't speak.

Chewie and BB-8 both start telling her; luckily, she is one of very few people who can understand them both. Unfortunately, all they can tell her is that they were ambushed, and that something hit Poe in the head before he could take off from Endor. She looks over at her 2IC, and the blood everywhere aside, what troubles her is his absolute stillness. Poe Dameron is rarely still. A foot or hand always tapping, always in motion somehow.

Her eyes turn to their young Jedi, and she can't pretend not to know the look on her face. She's almost entirely certain that she had the same expression on her face watching Han being encased in carbonite all those years ago. Rey stands just behind the doctors, arms wrapped around her midsection, eyes wide with fear and sadness and abject helplessness, and Leia knows her pain all too well. BB-8 now leans into Rey's legs, and Leia is reminded of R2, the little droid appearing almost human in his desire to comfort.

Before she can go over to her, Kes Dameron skids into the medbay wordlessly. He is frantic, and Leia is hit by another memory. Her father - not Anakin Skywalker, but Bail Organa. That's who she thinks of when she sees Kes. A man who raised a child he adored, taught, and encouraged to be more. "Kes."

He turns to her, his face ghostly white. "Leia, is he…"

She realizes what he is asking. "No. They're working on him now."

"What happened?" Her old friend sounds broken, terrified. She explains what little they know, and he replies, "What hit him? How?"

"This." A small, agonized voice makes them turn, and Rose stands there where Finn, now standing directly behind her, just put her down. Her face is streaked with tears, and in her shaking hands, she holds out a large piece of twisted metal. The blunt side has blood on it. "One of the ones shooting at us must have hit my X-Wing as I was taking off. The odds of it shearing off and ricocheting the way it did, at the right moment and angle to hit him, may actually be incalculable. It was in the footwell of his cockpit."

Leia takes it, passing it to a nurse nearby, who takes it to show the doctors, just so they know exactly what happened. Leia looks back over at Rey, who still stares at Poe's still form and now has tears streaming down her face. Kes notices too, and he goes over to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Rey hasn't been able to tear her eyes from Poe. They are methodically cleaning the wound to his temple, and they're using a portable scanner on it. They'd quickly cleared his neck, removing the collar, but when she saw the doctor frowning at the scanner, the tears began. The feel of Kes's arm around her shoulder made the dam break completely. She turns into him, finally breaking off her staring. She buries her face in his shoulder, sobbing, and she clings to him. He fully envelopes her in his arms, and for a moment she feels safe.

He murmurs, "Is he still there?"

She nods and whispers back, "Yes, but barely."

"That's good enough for now, Little Jedi." He holds her even tighter, and she's once again grateful to finally have the father, the parent, she feels she has spent most of her life seeking. It's a makeshift family, but for a girl who grew up alone, living in a fallen AT-AT in the Jakku desert, it feels oddly right. Makeshift works for her, and what would be temporary for some is perfect for her forever.

The doctor, the one who usually looks after Poe (Rey reflects that she's not happy that he has a "usual" doctor), comes over, a serious expression on her face. "Rey, Captain Dameron, we have him stabilized."

They both nod, and Rey asks, "How is he?" She peers around the doctor, and she can see through the screens that the nurses just moved over that they're changing him out of his flight suit and into some soft cotton pants over a catheter. They have some monitor leads on his chest, so once he's dressed, they just pull a light blanket up over his torso. He also has a line in for fluids.

The doctor sighs. "He lost a fair amount of blood, because head wounds bleed a lot. For now, though, his blood volume is all right," she pauses, "His brain activity on the scan is lower than I'd like, but it's there. There's a lot of swelling, and he has a bad concussion. We have bacta on it, and we'll keep it on, changing it every half hour. We lost some of our more advanced equipment when we lost the Raddus and our medical frigate, but honestly, what we have works just as well, it's just a little more manual."

Rey nods, and Kes squeezes her shoulder. He asks, "He hasn't woken up, has he?"

The doctor shakes her head. "No. I don't expect he will for a while. Give the bacta time to work and give the swelling a chance to go down."

"How long?" Rey's voice is soft, and far more broken than Kes or the doctor likes.

The doctor tilts her head, looking at the distraught young woman closely. "Probably a day, maybe two or three. But…"

Rey nods, staring at Poe. "It's possible that he won't, isn't it?"

Kes stiffens, and the doctor frowns briefly, cringing. "Yes. It's highly unlikely. Maybe a five percent chance, tops, but yes. It's possible. But Rey?" The doctor waits for her to look up. "Don't borrow trouble. I have no doubt that he'll come back to you. Talk to him. Do your crazy Jedi mind-talking thing. Make sure he knows you're there. He'll come back."

Rey nods, tears coming to her eyes again. The doctor reaches out and squeezes Rey's hand in her own. "I'll get them to find you a comfortable chair, because I know you won't leave him."

Rey nods. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Can you find two?" Kes asks.

The doctor nods. "I'll see what we can do."

With BB-8 close on her heels, Rey heads over to the bed as Kes thanks the doctor and then explains to the others what is going on. She takes Poe's hand in hers, stroking her thumb over the back of it. She leans over, pressing a kiss to his forehead just above his left eye, the only part of his forehead not covered with a bandage.

She catches a whiff of bacta, but she also catches the smell of blood; leaning back, she sees that there is still some blood matted in his hair and down his neck. She hears someone clear their throat and she looks up to see a nurse, a sympathetic look on his face, holding out a bowl of warm water and a soft cloth to her.

She takes it, softly murmuring her thanks, and she carefully cleans the blood from Poe's neck, face, and hair. By the time she finishes, Kes joins her and the male nurse returns with a chair for her. "We're still finding a second one for you, sir," he notes to Kes before leaving with the now-bloodied bowl of water and the cloth.

Finn and Leia join them. Rose hovers nearby, wringing her hands and still sniffling. Finn hugs Rey to him. "He'll be all right, Rey."

Rey nods. "I hope so." She sinks into the chair they brought her, curling up in it and leaning towards the bed. She rests her head just above his hip, her fingers twining in his, and she focuses on the steady rise and fall of his chest and on the quiet buzz of him in the back of her head. She thinks at him, "Sleep for now, but then come back to me, Flyboy."

Rose watches, pain ripping through her heart. When her sister died – and she doesn't blame Poe for that, knowing that the dreadnaught would have tracked them through hyperspace and killed them all – they all seemed to just appear. Rey is like a sister, Poe a protective big brother, and Kes a surrogate father. Finn is…Finn, and wonderful. And so many of them are in pain because Poe was keeping an eye on her, protecting her. Finn is over by Rey, so Rose slips out, guilt eating her alive. She heads deep into the heart of the base, fully intending to hide for as long as she can.

Finn turns from Rey and Kes after telling them both to call him if they need a break. He fully intends to come in and out anyway, but he's certain that neither of them will take him up on it. He scans the room for Rose, but she's gone. He's worried about her; she'd been so upset before, but it's clearly not her fault. Poe did his job as leader of the group. He says a soft good-bye to Rey and heads out, determined to find Rose and make sure she's all right.

The hours in the medbay drag by, with the nurses changing the bacta, as promised, every half hour. After watching them three times, Rey offers to start doing it for them. They let her at the doctor's insistence. Leia sat with them for a while, but she left some time ago, taking BB-8 with her, to try to figure out where the bad intel on the Endor meet up came from. She's worried that their spy is either compromised or dead. Neither is a good thing, but at least the spy has no idea where they are located right now.

It's late in the evening; Kes left to get them some food, though she doubts that she'll be able to eat much. Poe still buzzes very softly in the back of her head. It's constant but unchanged, which, despite what the doctor said, scares her. Except to do the bandage changes and one trip to the refresher, she hasn't let go of his hand since she sat down in her marginally comfortable chair.

Kes returns, a small plate of food for her in hand. He also is changed into what look like soft pants and a pullover shirt, something more comfortable than his work clothes from before. He also has a small bag, which he hands to her along with the food. He explains, "I ran into Leia; she had Lieutenant Connix go with me to your quarters and get you some sleep clothes. You also have some blood on your arm. I thought you might want to go clean up a little."

"Thank you," Rey says softly.

She stands, but before she can go to the refresher in the medbay, she leans down and kisses Poe's forehead again. She thinks, "I'll be right back," at him, and she reluctantly releases his hand, not wanting him to feel alone. She knows it's silly, but it bothers her.

"I'll stay right here, Little Jedi." Kes takes Poe's hand and settles into her vacant chair. "I'll even keep your seat warm."

She leans down and hugs him. "Thank you, Kes."

He hugs her back with his free arm. "Of course, Little Jedi."

As she heads to the refresher, she has to smile to herself when she hears Kes say, "Kid, that girl loves you a hell of a lot." Kes pauses, and Rey can't help but keep listening. She almost wishes she'd stopped, though, when he adds, "You need to marry her. Now, kid. Life is way too short to wait."

She hurries to the refresher, tears threatening again. When she's safely inside, she looks down at her right hand, spinning the ring, Poe's mother's ring. From what Rose told her, a wedding ring, at least on Yavin, goes on the left hand, but Rose had also smiled happily and said, "But on your right hand, it means love and commitment, especially with his mother's ring!"

Rey has gotten used to the ring on her right hand, clinking against her lightsaber and against the controls on the Falcon. She looks at her bare left hand, stretching it out. The tears then fall, as she thinks about being his wife. About becoming Rey Dameron – about having his name. The tears fall because she thinks about him not ever waking up to even ask her – or maybe even for her to ask him. She did initiate their first kiss, after all. She shakes her head, deciding that she's being ridiculous – "borrowing trouble," as the doctor put it.

She mumbles, "Only a five percent chance that he won't wake up." She then washes her face in the sink and changes into the clothes Kes brought her. A few moments later, she emerges, hair loose and face cleaned and free of tears. She returns to find Kes trying to eat with his free hand.

He looks up at her, and despite her efforts to clear her face, she realizes that her reddened eyes and the way she continues to fiddle with her ring must be dead giveaways, because his own eyes widen. He sighs. "Did you hear what I said to Poe, Little Jedi?"

She blushes and looks down at the floor. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Kes puts his plate aside and stands up, releasing Poe's hand in order to envelop Rey in a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Little Jedi, I shouldn't have said that."

"No, it was fine." She shakes her head, but she buries her face in his shoulder. Then, she whispers, "I don't know if he even wants that. We've talked about children, but not about marriage."

"Rey, there is no doubt in my mind that he wants to marry you. I know for a fact that he wants you to have our name." Rey looks up at him in surprise. He releases her, and she takes her seat, entwining her fingers with Poe's again. Kes crouches next to her, patting her knee.

She looks at him. "How do you know that he wants me to have your name?"

Kes shrugs. "Every time we start working with a group of new recruits, at least one will make a big deal about the fact that neither you nor Finn has a family name. I've lost count of the number of times I've said 'Just Finn,' or 'Just Rey.' The same is true for Poe. It makes him almost irrationally irritated, and after one of the sessions, he said to me that he should just tell people you're 'Rey Dameron' to make them be quiet." He smirks. "And to be honest, I think he thinks it would also dissuade new recruits from hitting on you."

She had been blinking in surprise, but now her brow furrows in confusion. "What do you mean – what is hitting on someone?"

Kes laughs and shakes his head, coloring slightly. "Making an advance, expressing…sexual interest."

"Oh." Rey says, peering up at Poe. But then what Kes said sinks in. "Oh!" Her eyes fly back to his.

He chuckles. "One of my favorite things about you, Little Jedi, is that you don't even notice what they're trying to do. If Poe thought it bothered you at all, he'd have put a stop to it. Finn, on the other hand? He puts them in their place. That young man is as protective as my son is – it's probably also why Poe has been able to manage some level of restraint on the matter." Kes straightens and pulls his chair closer to hers, propping his feet up on the unoccupied portion of her chair.

She smiles faintly at the thought of Finn being Poe's enforcer, and she also smiles at Kes's move, loving the casual ease that has grown between them over the last few months. Kes reaches down and hands her a small bowl of fruit and a small piece of bread. "I know you won't eat much, but try, Little Jedi. You need to take care of yourself, too."

She complies, eating most of the fruit and part of the bread. When she's done (and he's clearly satisfied with how much she ate), he takes the bowl back, setting it on the floor. He pats her knee again and settles back in his chair. She marvels again at what it feels like to have a father, and she pings a thought to Poe, thanking him for letting her borrow Kes now and then. Usually, that kind of thought would earn her a warm wave of emotion in response, but he remains silent, the buzz staying low.

She settles back in her chair, too, her mind wanders. Then, out of nowhere, she blurts, "What is a pick-up line?"

Kes, who had been taking a sip of water, nearly spits it all over Rey. He chokes slightly, finally swallowing, and then he looks at her like she's crazy. "A pick-up line? Where did you even hear that?"

Surprised by his reaction, she motions her head to Poe. "When I was outside brooding after you hurt your shoulder, Poe found me and said something like 'what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this,'" Kes snorts at that, and Rey smiles and goes on, "When I gave him a look not entirely dissimilar from the look you're giving me right now, he said he guessed that he needed to explain pick-up lines to me. But he didn't yet."

"Leave it to my son to try to cheer up his own girl with a cheesy line. Little Jedi, pick-up lines are generally bad, awkward attempts to introduce yourself to someone you're attracted to, usually in a social setting. In the social context, they're usually clumsy, no matter how smooth the delivery, but in a casual context, generally done as a joke, they can be amusing. Hence his attempt to use one with you." He pauses, looking fondly up at his son. He quietly adds, "He loves it when you smile."

"I love it when he smiles, too. His eyes light up and he gets little crinkles in the corners of them."

Kes nods and quietly offers. "His mom's eyes did that, too."

They slip into comfortable silence then, and she realizes that Kes fell asleep in the chair. He doesn't wake up when the doctor comes over as Rey changes the bandage the next time. The doctor uses the portable scanner again, and this time, she smiles instead of frowning.

She whispers to Rey, trying to let Kes sleep, "Leave it to this one to go fast. The swelling is way down, and his brain activity has improved, even if just a little. I'm even more sure now that he'll be fine, Rey. And I think that's enough bacta changes. Just finish that one and leave it until the morning. And get some sleep. You look exhausted."

Rey smiles a full, genuine smile for the first time since Endor, but then she shrugs. "I've gotten used to curling up next to him. I don't sleep well if I'm not with him."

The doctor studies her for a moment, and then she points to the side of the bed next to the chairs. She never tells Rey expressly that she can climb up there, but instead, she says, "Just mind his head and the monitor leads."

Impulsively, Rey wraps the surprised doctor in a quick hug. "Thank you." The doctor just smiles and shakes her head, walking away with a chuckle.

Rey goes to a small cabinet and she pulls two soft blankets from it. She covers Kes with one, dropping a kiss to the top of his head. She spreads the other one over Poe's right side, moving his right arm to rest on his midsection. She crawls up next to him on the bed, thankful that it's a decent size. She curls into his side, covering them with the blanket and once again taking his right hand and entwining their fingers. She rests her head on his shoulder, and in moments, she surrenders to sleep.

The sound of soft voices penetrates Rey's head, and her eyes slowly blink open. She glances at the one window in the medbay, and she's surprised to see the soft light of mid-morning. She'd slept for several hours. She sees the doctor talking quietly with Leia and Kes on the other side of the medbay.

She closes her eyes again, focusing on the rise and fall of Poe's chest. Their hands are still wound together, and she snuggles closer to him. Reaching out with her mind, she realizes with profound relief that his buzz has intensified significantly, almost back to normal. He still seems to be unconscious, but she can tell that his mind is approaching what she's used to in terms of constant thoughts and movement.

A moment later, he shifts, and his hand squeezes hers gently. Her eyes fly open, looking up at his face. His eyes are moving under still-closed lids, so she thinks at him, "Flyboy? You in there?"

It's silent for a moment, but then she nearly whoops with joy when he thinks back, "Where else would I be, Beautiful?"

She moves quickly, moving to her feet next to the bed and motioning the others over. His eyes remain resolutely closed, but he shifts again in the bed. Kes, Leia, and the doctor arrive at the side of the bed, and Rey murmurs, "He's in there. I just talked to him." She leans down near his ear, retaking his hand and saying, "Come on Flyboy. Time to open your eyes." Kes gasps when he sees Poe's eyes, though closed, moving rapidly beneath his eyelids. Rey squeezes Poe's hand. "Poe, Dad is really worried about you. Please open your eyes."

It's not lost on Kes that Rey said "Dad" as opposed to "Kes" or "your dad." The small thing makes him grin, but he sets it aside for now, taking Poe's other hand. "Listen to the Little Jedi, kid. We both need you to open your eyes. Otherwise you're going to have to spend even more time in the medbay, and I know how much you hate that."

His eyelids flutter, and Leia rolls her eyes. "Trust that to work. Dameron, you really are a pain in the ass."

Rey and Kes both chuckle at that, and Poe mutters groggily, "Thanks, General," as his eyes finally blink open. "How did I get here, and how long have I been out?" His eyes track around the room until they find Rey.

Rey's knees go a little weak at the sound of his voice and the relative clarity in his eyes, but she holds onto his hand and leans on the bed to stay upright. "BB-8 flew you home, and it's been almost a full day."

He blinks again. "A full day?"

Kes answers this time. "Yeah, kid. A full day."

Poe turns his head to look at his dad. "I'm sorry, Dad."

Kes furrows his brow. "Why are you sorry?"

"For worrying you." His eyes go from Kes, to Leia, landing back on Rey. "What happened, Beautiful?"

She hops up on the edge of his bed again, and he scoots over a little to give her more room. "What's the last thing you remember?" She exchanges a look with the doctor, who gives her an encouraging nod.

He closes his eyes for a moment. Keeping them closed, he says, "Ambushed on Endor, Rose got to her X-Wing and laid down cover fire for me to get in Black One," he pauses, furrowing his brow and opening his eyes, looking back at Rey. She nods in encouragement, and the doctor takes some notes. "Then I did the same, laid down cover fire as you got in the Falcon. I gave the order for us to leave, reached up to close my canopy, then…nothing until now."

Rey takes a deep breath. "We're pretty sure that a shot from the people attacking us clipped Rose's wing. A piece of shrapnel sheared of and ricocheted straight at you."

Poe's eyes go wide. "It hit me? What were the odds of that?"

Kes interjects, "Rose used the word 'incalculable.'"

The doctor steps away and returns with the chunk of metal in her hands. Poe starts to sit up, so Rey helps him, pulling him upright while Kes leans down and raises the head of the bed. He leans back. The doctor hands the metal to him. "That nailed you in the temple, as far as we can tell. You're damned lucky that you seem to be all right, Commander." The doctor turns to all of them. "I want to do a few cognitive tests and pull his lines."

Poe grimaces at that, shifting uncomfortably. "Yeah, I'd be good with that."

Rey leans down, pressing a kiss to his mouth. She pulls away after a moment, pressing her forehead to his. She thinks, "Do what the doctor says, Flyboy, or she won't let you out of here."

"I know, and I will, Beautiful." He thinks back.

She pulls back, smiling at him and ruffling his hair. She looks up at the doctor. "If you clear him, can he leave?"

"Probably, but he'll be off duty for a while." The doctor nods.

Before Poe can protest, Leia interrupts. "Yes, he will. Off duty until the doctor approves."

With a huff of defeat, Poe says, "Fine."

Rey and Kes both laugh, and Rey presses a kiss to his forehead again. "I'll go change and get you some clothes, too."

"Thanks, Beautiful." He gives her a rueful smile.

When Rey gets back, he's perched on the side of his bed, still shirtless and in the pants they'd dressed him in the night before, and he's almost bouncing. Rey laughs and shakes her head. "Now there's my Flyboy." He grins as she approaches, so she says, "I assume you're cleared to leave?"

He nods. "Doc said I'm doing fine." His face falls a little. "I'm shaky, though. I don't like that at all."

"I told you it'll go away soon, Commander." The doctor joins them. She looks at Rey. "It'll probably be another day or so before he's completely steady again. Otherwise, he's probably going to have headaches for a week or two – if those get too bad, or if he seems disoriented or confused, I want you to come straight back here. Do not wait." She turns back to Poe. "And you. Enough with the head stuff."

"Yes ma'am." He nods solemnly.

The doctor rolls her eyes and waves him off. "Go."

As the doctor leaves, Rey moves closer to Poe, and he moves his legs apart enough for her to stand between them. Now that she knows he's all right, she moves close and wraps her arms around his neck, pressing herself to him. His arms go around her, and he can feel her relief and lingering anxiety. She trembles in his arms, and he just holds her close, letting her cling to him until she's ready to let go.

He thinks the last thought at her, and she thinks back, "I'll never be ready to let go."

That makes his breath hitch slightly, and he whispers, "I won't either, Beautiful."

"I was so afraid that you wouldn't come back to me. The doctor said…" She swallows a sob, unable to finish the words.

"Shh. I'm all right, Beautiful. We're all right." He soothes her, running a hand through her hair, which she has down and loose for a change.

"You have to stop scaring me like this, Poe."

He pulls back, a serious expression on his face. "I'd love to promise you that I will, Rey, but you know I can't. And you can't promise not to scare me, either. We both know that this war will get a lot worse before it gets better. We both know that you'll probably have to face Kylo again. Hell, what happened on the Raddus proves that even being 'safely' on the bridge isn't particularly safe."

She sighs. "I know." Something Kes said the night before pings through her mind. "Life is short."

"That it is." Poe gives her a funny look, because he suddenly feels a wave of nervousness from her. "Rey? Are you all right?"

"Yes," she says softly. She takes a deep breath and asks, "Can we get married?"

He furrows his brow, blinking a few times. "What?"


	3. Chapter 3 - No Guilt Allowed

**Author's Note: I didn't intend for this to get so long, but it took on a life of its own. This is the epilogue, started as the end of chapter two, but it got too long.**

 **D** **isclaimer per usual – I do not own Star Wars or any aspect of the SW universe; just a fan with an idea. No profit here, just fun for me.**

" _Yes," she says softly. She takes a deep breath and asks, "Can we get married?"_

 _He furrows his brow, blinking a few times. "What?"_

"I want to marry you. I want to be able to say I'm Rey Dameron. I want you. Forever, however long that turns out to be." She blushes, seeing his shocked expression. "I've messed this up, haven't I? Was I not supposed to ask? I don't know enough about customs and trad…"

Her words are cut off by his lips on hers. He pulls her tight to him, and the kiss is deep, firm, and more than a little possessive. When they break apart, they're both out of breath. She presses her face into his neck. He can tell she's still embarrassed, so he strokes her soft hair and thinks, "I wanted to ask you, Beautiful, but this was so much better than anything I could have dreamed up."

She pulls back and asks, "Really?" A hint of a smile graces her face, and he can't help but kiss her again, this time softly.

"Really. And yes, I want to marry you, and no, you absolutely did not mess this up." He brushes her hair back over her shoulder. "I'll marry you today, if that's what you want."

She grins and steps back. "You have to put some clothes on first."

A short time later, after she helped him dress, they exit the medbay hand in hand. He still has a small bacta patch on the site of his wound and isn't steady, but she helps keep him solidly on his feet, whether with a balancing hand or with a minor Force assist when necessary. She tells Poe that Chewie let her know that he's keeping BB-8 occupied on the Falcon, and Poe smiles gratefully. He loves his droid, but BB-8 is a serious worrier.

She suggests that they go find Finn and Rose, but he says they need to go to their quarters first. When they get there, he goes to a drawer and pulls a small box from the back of it, and he turns and hands it to her.

She gives him a quizzical look as he sits on their bed. "Open it," he prompts, indicating the box.

She does, and she looks confused. "But Poe, I already have your mother's ring."

He shakes his head. "That's for the wedding. This is something different."

The ring in her hand is of the same metal and design as his mother's ring, but it's paved with a sparkling substance. "How does it shine like that?" She's suddenly mesmerized by the light glinting off of the ring.

He takes it and slips it onto the ring finger of her left hand. "I had Chewie help me with it. The sparkles are the dust and tiny bits of kyber that Chewie had to shave off of the crystal in your lightsaber to smooth it out. He figured out how to blend it with the metal, then he and BB-8 did the pattern work. You can stack it with Mom's ring." He looks up at her, a nervous look on his face. "Do you like it?"

She sniffles a little, struggling to hold back tears. "I can't believe you did that for me, that you went to that much effort for me, that Chewie did."

"Rey, you deserve every special thing we can do for you. I wanted, when we got to this moment, for it to be something you'd remember." He shrugs and smiles. "Of course, I can't wait to tell our kids that mommy is the one who proposed to daddy."

She grins then, throwing her arms around him. "I can't wait to tell Dad."

He leans back. "When did you start calling him that?"

Her face falls a little. "Is it all right?"

"Of course it is. And he'll probably be even happier about it than I am." He pushes her hair back. "As much as I'd love to celebrate here," he grins, "I am temporarily not allowed to celebrate in that manner. So, lunch?"

She laughs and stands, holding out a hand to help him up. "How long?"

He darkens and grumbles, "Until the doctor clears me." He lets her pull him to his feet.

"Well, if we have to wait a while, it'll just be that much more fun when you're cleared." She leans up and kisses him. "Kissing is allowed, right?"

"Right." He kisses her back. "Let's go find everyone."

She holds his hand tight and pulls him towards the door. "Good idea. Dad is probably starting to worry."

They head out of the room only to run into Finn and Kes in the hallway. Rey frowns and Poe asks, "What's wrong?"

Finn looks upset. "It's Rose. She thinks you getting hurt was her fault. I couldn't find her last night. I finally found her in the hangar, working on ships through the night. She won't stop."

Poe grimaces. "Damn it. Take me to her, Finn."

"Not on your own, Flyboy." Rey doesn't drop his hand. "Finn, show us where she is."

Finn just nods, leading them to the hangar. Kes follows close behind them, mainly watching to be sure Poe doesn't overdo it. Finn guides them past the main part of the hangar to a side area, one where they have a group of old fighters they're trying to repair and refurbish. Finn looks around. "She was here twenty minutes ago."

Poe looks around, his eyes scanning the area. "Got her." He cocks his head at his mom's old A-Wing. Rose is perched on one of the wings, looking out of the hangar into the midday sun. The platform ladder she used to climb up is still there. "Get me over there, Beautiful. I need to talk to her."

Finn starts to argue, but it's Kes who stops him. "Poe is right, Finn. This isn't about friendship or family. This is about the leader's responsibility for his team."

Poe nods to his dad, and Rey walks with him over to the A-Wing. He thinks at her, "I'm getting steadier, Rey. I can get up there on my own."

"Are you sure?" she thinks back at him.

He nods and kisses her forehead. "I am. I'll call if I need help. I promise."

When they get to the ladder, he finally lets go of Rey's hand. She backs away as he carefully climbs up to Rose's perch. A moment later, Rey slips back further, standing next to Kes and Finn. She slips her arm through Finn's, leaning her head against his shoulder. "She'll be all right, Finn."

He swallows hard. "I hope so."

Up on the A-Wing, Poe gingerly sits down next to Rose, breathing a sigh of relief when he manages it without falling or embarrassing himself. He wipes his hand on his pants. "You know, the doctor might be pretty mad if she was to find out that I'm out here sitting on a fighter."

She doesn't respond, so he adds, "Of course, she'd be angrier if I was in the fighter, so there's that." He looks at Rose, and he's dismayed to see tears on her face. "Rose, I'm fine. No permanent damage. I'll be back in the air in no time."

"If you hadn't been waiting for me…"

"Stop, Rose." She finally looks at him. "That's my job. It's my responsibility to make sure my team, my squadron, is safe before I go." He catches her eye. "I failed at that before. I failed Paige, Rose. I was so focused on the dreadnaught, on taking it down, that I made the wrong call."

"But it wasn't wrong, Poe! If it hadn't been destroyed, we'd likely all be dead." Rose protests.

He's glad that she's focused on him now, instead of on guilt. But she needs to understand. "Rose, that doesn't matter. I didn't know about the light speed tracking. I didn't know. I just wanted to win. To take out a dreadnaught. I was wrong. Your sister was a hero – nothing will change that. I wasn't. I was the leader who failed the heroes. I know that, understand that, now. I didn't until recently."

She blinks in surprise at his vehemence. He leans down to look her in the eye. "I will never fail my team like that again. If that means I get hurt, so be it. The team is what matters. I owe them my best as a leader – not my ego."

"But what about Rey?" Rose still looks anguished.

Poe shoots Rey a thought, telling her to come back over, but he keeps his eyes on Rose's. When Rey responds with a thought that that she can hear them, he goes on, "We have decided that the fear is entirely worth it. Rey knows what she's signing up for with me. And not for nothing, Rose, I know what I'm signing up for with Rey, too. You know," he smirks at her and motions to Rey, who now stands on the ladder, "The savior of the Resistance, our only hope for success?"

At that, Rose finally cracks a small smile. "There she is." He thinks at Rey again, asking her if he can tell Rose they're getting married. Rey readily agrees. Poe reaches out to brush Rose's hair back, and he wipes the tears from her face with his thumb. "Rose, if we let fear rule us, would I have said yes when Rey asked me to marry her? Hell, would Rey have asked in the first place?"

Rose's eyes widen. "What?" She jumps up, looking over at Rey, who holds up her left hand, the new band picking up the sunlight. Rose bounds over, nearly knocking Poe off of the wing.

He laughs, watching Rose, who is now completely distracted. He carefully gets up, following Rose over to the ladder. He grabs the ladder rail, sitting again, this time on the wing but with his feet on the platform. Kes and Finn come over, and Poe catches Rey's eye as she explains the ring to Rose. Rose turns and hugs Poe. He takes that moment to say, "You know, knocking your already-wobbly commanding officer off of an A-Wing? That would definitely be your fault."

Rose blinks. "Why are you wobbly?"

He arches an eyebrow and deadpans, "Rose, I have a concussion and was unconscious for almost a full day."

Rey plops herself down in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're also getting married. That might be contributing."

Finn's and Kes's eyes widen, but Poe just kisses Rey and says, "That's the one thing not making me wobbly at all, Beautiful."

Finn runs up the ladder, pulling Rey from Poe's lap and hugging her to him. Poe looks down and catches his dad's eye. Kes looks a little overwhelmed, surprising Poe. He pushes himself up, and using the railing, he goes down the steps. Kes meets him at the bottom, wrapping him up in a hug. After a moment, Kes says, "Your mom would be so damned happy for you, Poe. I am too."

"I'm glad you're here, Dad."

Kes steps back, a hand on each of Poe's shoulders. "I'm glad too, kid."

Rey, breaking away from Finn, runs down the steps. Kes turns in time to catch her in a hug, making Poe laugh even as he moves back to balance against the rail of the ladder platform. Rey leans away from Kes, laughing too. "Should I have asked permission first? I did tell Poe when I asked him that I don't know much about customs or traditions."

If it's possible, Kes's eyes and Finn's eyes widen even further. Finn is the first to speak. "You asked him?"

Kes grins and hugs Rey back to him. "Well done, Little Jedi."

"Thanks, Dad." She smiles up at him, hoping he reacts well to the name.

Tears come to his eyes, and he hugs her even tighter, whispering in her ear, "I love you, Little Jedi, and I'm proud to call you my daughter."

Rey clings to him. "And I'm proud to call you my father."

"What's all this then?" Leia approaches, trailed by Lieutenant Connix. They've been looking for them to pass on what Leia learned about what happened on Endor, and they're surprised to find a rather jubilant scene.

"Rey asked me to marry her. I said yes." Poe smirks at Leia, though he feels a headache building and his legs getting a little weak.

Rey wipes at her eyes and pulls away from Kes, who laughs at Poe's delivery of the news. The pilot in question, though, is telegraphing fatigue to her, and she moves over to him. She notices that he's gone a little ashen. "Do you need to sit?"

He hates to admit it, but he nods slightly. She helps him lower himself down to the second step of the ladder, and Rose and Finn both come down, passing him with worried looks on their faces. Rose wrings her hands together. "Do you need to go back to the medbay?"

"No." Poe shakes his head and frowns at the twinge the movement causes. "I just need to sit for a few minutes."

Rey crouches in front of him, her hands on his knees, and Kes settles on the step next to him, one hand going to his back. Leia's brow furrows, and she comes over to the three of them. "I was going to tell you about our Endor spy, but it can wait. Commander?"

Poe blinks a few times, but Rey can see that his color is already improving. "No, General, Leia, it's fine. I'm fine. Just needed to sit for a minute."

Leia nods. "My reports are telling me that the spy, sadly, is dead. The people who attacked you were mercenaries, black market weapons traders. They wanted to steal the X-Wings to sell."

Poe snorts. "Oh good. More people who want to kill us."

"One gets used to it, Commander." Leia arches an eyebrow at him. "But at least the spy didn't know our location. We should be secure here, at least for now. So, what this about a wedding?"

Poe can see a glint in Leia's eye, and he shakes his head. "No, General."

Rey shoots him a funny look, but Poe holds Leia's gaze. She begins, "Poe, it would be something to celebrate. It would be unifying."

He pulls himself up, stepping down to the hangar floor and looking down at her. "No. If we decide to do it publicly, it will be small and low-key, maybe a party for the people we know well. But we will decide, and we won't be used for some diplomatic purpose. The war takes everything else, Leia. It won't take this."

Rey follows him, moving to his right side and helping to support him, both physically and in this discussion with Leia. She frowns. "General, all due respect, I am with Poe on this. I am uncomfortable enough in my role as Jedi savior. I don't want this part of my life to be used. Please."

Leia looks at them both for a moment before her face softens. "You're right. I'm sorry. I spend so much time on the cause that I sometimes lose sight of other things. Congratulations to you both. I do hope you let us throw you a party, though." She turns to head back to Command.

"General?" Rey calls after her. When Leia turns and gives her a questioning look, Rey says, "Dad?" Kes steps over to Poe to make sure he's steady, and Rey walks over to Leia. "Will you marry us? You're clearly our ranking officer. Wouldn't that be right?"

Leia hugs her. "I'd be honored to. Even if I think you're crazy for marrying that one." She indicates Poe with her head.

Poe chuckles. "Appreciate the support, General." He gives her his usual smart-assed salute.

She responds with her usual vaguely obscene gesture. "Always, Commander."

Kes rolls his eyes and looks at the others. "And I give you the leadership of the Resistance, ladies and gentlemen."

They all burst out laughing at that, even Lieutenant Connix. Rey goes back to Poe and links her arm through his. She can feel fatigue kicking in for him again. "All right, Flyboy. Nap time."

Before Poe can argue, Kes adds. "I'll walk you two back. And don't argue, kid. You look exhausted. Unless you want the doc to track you down and drag you back to the medbay, you need to rest."

They turn to go, but Connix and Rose come over to Rey. Rose grins. "Fine for now, but tomorrow, we wedding plan."

Rey blinks in confusion. "What is there to plan?" She looks up at Poe. "Don't we just, you know, get married?"

He chuckles. "I'm staying out of this. I'm injured, remember?"

She moves them quickly away from the two women, Rey with an almost feral look in her eyes. She can feel Poe's amusement, and it irks her more, as does Kes's outright laughter. "You two are not helping." She scowls at Poe. "Laugh it up, Flyboy. I'll leave you here. I wonder if you can make it back on your own?"

"My dad will help me." He smirks.

Kes backs away, still laughing. "Oh, kriff no. I'm way more afraid of her than I am of you, kid. You're on your own."

As his dad leaves them, Poe yells, "Coward!"

His dad calls back, "Yeah, but I'll live to fight another day, kid."

Rey smiles sweetly. "Love you, Dad."

Kes grins. "Love you, too, Little Jedi."

"Are you two done?" Poe tries to sound put out, but the warm feeling she's getting from him is a dead giveaway, as is the unabashed affection in his eyes.

"We are." Rey replies softly. She gives Kes a wave, and he heads towards his own quarters. Rey entwines her fingers with his, leading him back to their room.

He's leaning heavily against her by the time they get there, and she pulls his boots off and helps him change into sleep clothes before settling him in their bed. She leans down and checks the bacta patch at his temple, swapping it for a new one. She then presses a kiss to his forehead. "Sleep, Flyboy."

"Stay," he mumbles, already curling onto his left side, his head on the pillow. His eyes are drifting closed, but his hand reaches for hers.

She pulls up a chair and gets a holonovel. After kissing him again, this time gently on his lips, she settles in the chair, putting her feet up on the bed. She starts the holonovel, and then she takes his hand in hers. He mumbles again. "You'll be here when I wake up?"

"I will, Flyboy," she squeezes his hand, "There isn't anywhere I'd rather be."


End file.
